Facebook ads
for coaches.

Meta's personal attributes rule says ads must not assert or imply personal attributes, including physical or mental health, vulnerable financial status and more. Its own examples of what's not allowed include 'Do you have diabetes?' and 'Are you bankrupt?'.

Coaching copy walks straight into it, because the instinct is to name the pain: 'Burnt out?', 'Anxious all the time?', 'Drowning in debt?'. Each one tells the viewer what you think is wrong with them.

The rewrite keeps the topic and drops the accusation. 'Burnt out?' becomes 'A 6-week program for managers rebuilding after burnout'. Same people recognise themselves. Nobody's being diagnosed by an ad.

Describe the situation. Don't diagnose the viewer.

Meta's unrealistic outcomes rule bans claims that you can get rich quickly or with little effort, with examples like 'Make $1,000 every month' and 'Be your own boss', and testimonials promising specific health results without a disclaimer. Google's equivalent bans improbable results, even if possible.

Then there's the law. Claims about future results need reasonable grounds when you make them. The ACCC took the business behind 'We Buy Houses' seminars and mentoring to court, the court found its student testimonials misleading, and the penalty was $18 million.

If a client got a great result, say what they did, in their words, with context, and only if it's typical. Otherwise, sell the process.

Paste an ad below. It flags the patterns that most often get coaching ads rejected, and why.

Cold ads asking strangers to book a call usually struggle. Coaching is a considered purchase from someone they've never heard of.

What tends to work better is a first step that's useful on its own: a short video that teaches one thing, a free workshop, or a guide to a specific situation. People who take it have shown interest, and the follow-up ad can invite them to a call.

If you run lead ads, ask one question a serious buyer answers easily, and follow up the same day. The discovery calls page covers what happens next.

Meta's system now leans heavily on the ad itself to find people, so the creative does much of the targeting work. That's another reason to describe the situation clearly: it tells Meta who the ad is for.

If you also run Google Ads, know that relationship hardship, health and money troubles are sensitive categories: Google doesn't allow remarketing, customer lists or lookalike audiences for them. Divorce, grief, health and debt coaches have to rely on searches, location and Google's own audiences.